Glove



A. BATES GLOVE Filed Sept. 1'7, 1938 March 7, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 111a- 3am ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 GLOVE Alice Bates, Long Island City, N. Y. Application September 17,1938, Serial No. 230,463 6 Claims. (01. 2-159) This invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly refers to improvements in gloves of the type where a continuous fourchette strip is used for connecting adjacent digit extensions of the back and palm portions of the glove.

The idea of forming the fingers in a glove by connecting the front and back digit portions by means of a fourchette strip running along the sides and over the tips of each finger is not per I se new, It is well known that the use of such an element in the manufacture of gloves results in the production of a glove, which is both more comfortable to wear and more economical to produce than gloves of the type heretofore in common use, where the finger extensions from the back and palm portions of the glove are joined by separate side strips, known as fourchettes, reaching to the tip of the finger only. -Ihese fourchettes are stitched or sewed to and between the finger extensions and form therewith a somewhat polnted end.

This results in an improperly fitting glove,

lacking flexibility, and tending to break open as easily, especially at the finger tips when subjected to stresses. Furthermore, due to the large number of pieces which must be used in completing a glove of the ordinary type, it is necessary to devote a great deal of labor and care to its manufacture, and these factors naturally react unfavorably on the cost of production.

On the other hand, gloves in which the sides of the fingers are formed by a strip or strips running over the tips of the fingers in inverted 5 U-fashion provide ample room for the fingers of .the wearer, as well as a perfect fit, and their appearance is also more attractive than gloves of ordinary construction. Furthermore, due to the fewer pieces which must be produced and han- 40 died, it is possible to effect material savings in both the cutting and stitching operations since the sewing machine can be used for longer runs J6 novel and improved construction composed of only two pieces, one of said pieces being formed integral with a. fourchette strip, adapted to run continuously over the crotch between the thumb and the index finger, along the sides and over the tips of all the fingers upto and including 5 the little finger, said strip preferably continuing beyond the tip of the little finger and down the outer .side thereof to the base of the wrist of the glove.

A still further object is to provide in a glove 10 a specialtwo-piece construction, in which the .thumbpiece is made integral with the means for joining together the back and palm portions of the glove.

An additional object is to provide, in connec- 15 .tion with a glove of the type where a continuous fourchette stripis used to form the sides and tips of the fingers, a novel and improved method of producing the fourchette strip, making'it possible toefiect considerable savings in both material 20 and labor over the methods heretofore in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims. 25

Myinvention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: 1 I

Fig. l is a View in perspective of a glove embodying my invention from the thumb side;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the same glove from the little finger side; 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a pattern for a glove of ordinary construction, showing the usual type of thumbpiece socket;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a pattern for the back and palm portions of a glove embodying my invention;

Fig. 5 is aplan view of a pattern for the thumb-piece and fourchette strip integral therewith, used in connection with the pattern of 40 Fig. 4; and.

Fig. 6 is a plan view in a reduced scale 01 the same pattern showing the fourchette strip extended in a substantially straight line, with its edges trimmed for the desirable tapering of the sides of each finger from the crotch to the tip called for by a proper fitting over the fingers of the wearer.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, l0 designates the palm portion of a glove of ordinary design and H the back portion integral therewith, saidtwo portions being folded along a median longitudinal line l2 running from the base, I 3, of the wrist to the tip H of the index finger l5. In said drawingsit will be seen that u the palm portion of the glove is formed with the usual thumbpiece socket l6, which is in the form of an opening bound by a continuous edge ll, the upper part of said edge being constituted by the slanting sides l3, I! of a tab 20 to which the thumbpiece proper (not shown) is attached, said tab forming the crotch between the thumb and index finger in the finished glove.

The blank or pattern for the back and palm portion of aglove embodying my invention, shown in Fig. 4, differs from the ordinary blank or pattern shown in Fig. 3 in that the forward ends of said back and palm portion are not joined along a common longitudinal line but rather are laterally spaced from each other, the clearance space therebetween forming a relatively narrow longitudinal side extension of the thumbpiece socket.

Referring to said Fig. 4, 2| designates the palm portion and 22 the back portion of my improved glove. The finger extensions 23, 24, 25, 26 of the palm portion corresponding to the little, third, middle and index fingers, respectively, are

symmetrical with the finger extensions 23', 24',

25', 26', of the back portion, and the index finger extensions 26, 26' are separated by a relatively narrow longitudinal clearance space 21, which is joined at 28 to the thumbpiece socket 29. Tab 30 going to form the crotch between the thumb and index finger extends downwardly into the thumbpiece socket in the usual manner.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the glove is completed by a thumbpiece 3i, which is formed integral in its entirety, including socket portion and thumb extension proper, with a fourchette strip 32 extending therefrom, said fourchette strip starting at the point 33at the end of the folding line 34 of the crotch tab 30 and running along the outer side of the index finger, over and beyond the tip thereof, and continuing in a sinuous line to form the walls, crotches and tips of all the succeeding fingers until after having reached the tip end 35 of the little finger, said strip continues downwardly to the base 36 of the wrist of the glove, forming the side 31 joining the outer edges 33 and 33 of the palm and back portions of the glove, respectively.

It is thus apparent that the glove is composed of only two pieces and that the continuity of the fourchette strip makes it possible to complete the sewing of the glove in only two operations. For instance, in one operation the stitching may .be started at the point II, where the pointed end of tab 33 Joins the side stitching of the thumbpiece, to be continued along the inner edge of said tab and along the contour of the thumbpiece socket and then to the edge of the index finger extension 26' of the back portion of the glove and all the succeeding finger extensions of said back portion and finally down along the outer edge 33 of said back portion to the base 33 of the wrist.

A second stitching operation can then be started at point 40, which is the starting point of the stitching joining the two halves of the thumbpiece to. each other, down along the side stitching ll of the thumbpiece (see Fig. 5) to the point 4|, where said side stitching Joins the pointed end of tab 30, down to the point 33 (see Fig. 1) and along the line of stitching joining the outer edge of the index finger of the palm portion to the fourchette strip and along the edges of all the finger extensions of said palm portion until after having passed beyond the little finger the stitching is continued down to the base of the wrist.

The blank or pattern of the thumbpiece proper, 3|, shown at III in Fig. 5, has'substantially a contour similar to that of the thumbpiece used in ordinary gloves, the tip portion being formed of two symmetrical halves 42, 43, to be folded along a median longitudinal line 44 and eventually joined by stitching along their edges up to the point 40, as shown in Fig. 2.

The fourchette strip which starts, as stated, at point 33 where the side of the thumbpiece meets the end of the folding line 34 of the crotch tab 30, is preferably obtained in the form of a coil or spiral surrounding the thumbpiece, so that it may be obtained, together with the thumbpiece, from a relatively small piece of material.

Ordinarily, the fourchette strip is obtained by cutting a strip oil a piece of material long enough to provide for the entire length of the strip in a substantially straight line.

In the present case, where the strip is made integral with the thiunbpiece, this procedure might create difficulties and would result in a considerable waste of material; therefore, also for this reason, the spiral outline of the strip, shown by way of example in Fig. 5, is to be preferred. Furthermore, in all cases it is preferable to use relatively small pieces because large skins are more expensive and also because a strip out along the entire length of a skin is likely to lack uniformity in thickness and flexibility. Therefore, the manner of producing the strip itself irrespective of whether said strip is integral with the thumbpi ce or not, as illustrated in Fig. 5, represents an advantage over the usual methods of production.

.In said Fig. 5 it is seen that the strip extends upwardly from the side of the thumbpiece and then is bent towards the other side and down wardly to and around the base of the thumbpiece and around its first coil until it is of the proper length. The two or more coils of strip thus obtained are, therefore, adjacent one another and can be formed by a single cutting and blanking operation isolating the entire blank or pattern from a relatively small piece of material, as will be understood.

There is still another important reason why the above mentioned method of producing the strip is to be preferred to other methods nameiy, the fact that when the strip is in its original spiral form its inner edge is shorter than its outer edge, the difference in their length being a function of the width of the strip and of the extent of the curved portions of said strip. As a result, the strip will more readily lend itself to its being angularly distorted at the crotch and tip bends, to follow the natural forward inclination of the finger tips and the rearward inclination of the crotches in the hand, a very desirable feature in a well fitting glove.

When the two parts composing the glove are joined by stitching or otherwise, the strip is.

easily extended to follow the contour of the glove, since the material out of'which the glove and strip are made is naturally very thin and flexible.

The strip can be cut of substantially uniform width and used without further trimming but in order to obtain the tapering of the fingers called for by a close and neat fit, I prefer to shape the edges of the strip'before' attaching it to the palm portion of the glove so that the sections thereof, indicated at 45, IO, 41 in Fig. 6.

gers from the little finger to the index finger, are wider than and gradually taper down to the sections 48, 49, 50, corresponding to the tips of said fingers. It is obvious that if a suitable cutting die is used the irregular outline of the .strip produced by the trimming operation can be directly obtained when said strip is cut off the piece of material from which it is obtained.

I have found that a glove made in accordance with my invention has the advantage of better fitting the thumb and index finger than a glove of the ordinary type heretofore in use. Sewers of gloves of the kind now in use have, after they have completed the edges, to twist the thumb and index fingers a little to make them,

conform better to the hand. The strip extending from the thumbpiece and running up the outer side of the index finger in the glove forming the subject of the present invention obviates this necessity, the glove affording a perfect fit without any additional manipulation.

While I prefer to make the strip long enough so that it will reach from the thumbpiece, alongside all the fingers and the opposite sides of the glove to the base of the wrist, said strip serving as a means for connecting the outer edges 38 and 39 of the palm and back portions of the glove, respectively, it is within the scope of my invention to have a strip reach only just beyond the tip end of the little finger, the outer edges 38, 39, of the palm and back portions of the glove being directly joined to each other in the usual manner.

Minor details of design and construction of my glove may vary to a certain extent from those shown and described without departing from the inventive idea. The drawings should, therefore, be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.

I accordingly reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: g l. A glove comprising integral back and palm portions having corresponding digit extensions spacedin a front to rear direction when said back and palm portions are folded about a median longitudinal line, and a single piece thumb formed integral with a fourchette strip, said strip starting at the base of said thumbpiece at the rear thereof and running along and between the outer side of the index finger digit extensions.

2. In the manufacture of gloves having a continuous fourchette strip following the contour and forming the sides of the finger extensions thereof, the method of producing said strip which consists in spirally cutting off a piece of material a length of the proper' width, the coils of said'length having abutting edges, and forming the fourchettes of the glove by unfolding said coils and attaching the strip to the digit extensions of the glove.

3. Inthe manufacture of gloves having a continuous fourchette strip following the contour and forming the sides of the finger extensions thereof, the method of producing said strip which consists in spirally cutting off a piece of material a length of the proper width, the coils of said length having abutting edges, unfolding said coils as the strip is attached to the digit extensions of the glove, and tapering-sections of said length between the crotches and the tips of the variousfingers of the glove.

4. In a glove, the combination with back and palm portions of a single piece thumb comprising integral back and front portions, said thumb portions seamed at an outer edge, a fourchette strip formed integral with one of said thumb portions, said strip running between said back and palm, portions along and connecting the outer sides. of the index finger digit extensions forming the side wall thereof. a

5. In a glovethe combination with back and palm portions, of a single piece thumb comprising integral back and front portions, said thumb portions seamed at an outer edge, a fourchette strip formed integralwith the back portion of the thumb, said strip running between said back and palm portions along and connecting the outer sides of the index finger digit extensions forming the side wall thereof.

6. A glove comprising integral "back and palm 40 portions having corresponding digit extensions spaced in a front to rear direction when said back and palm portions are folded about a median longitudinal line, a single piece thumb formed integral with a fourchette strip, said strip start- 6 ing at the base of said thumb at the rear thereof and running along and between the outer side of the index finger digit extensions and beyond and following the contour of andforming a continuous connection between the digit extenl sions of the remaining fingers.

moi: mm. 

